1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates in general to subsea well installations, and in particular to a device and method for making electrical connections through a tubing hanger.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
In a producing oil or gas well, useful information can be obtained by monitoring the pressure and the temperature at the bottom of the well. One method of monitoring the pressure and temperature is by using a pressure and temperature sensor located near the producing formation, and connected by an electrical wire that extends upward to the surface for readout on surface instruments. A tubing hanger located at the top of the well supports the production tubing and seals the upper end of the tubing in the casing. An electrical connection will be made at the tubing hanger for the pressure and temperature wires.
Making this electrical connection presents a problem in a subsea well. In a subsea well of the type that has the Christmas tree mounted at the wellhead on the subsea floor, the tubing hanger will be located possibly hundreds of feet from the surface of the water. When completing the well for production, a floating vessel will lower a Christmas tree connector onto the wellhead located on the sea floor. The Christmas tree connector has a stinger that inserts into the bore of the tubing hanger. It also has an electrical connector for mating with an electrical connector located in the tubing hanger if pressure and temperature monitoring is to be used. Aligning the electrical connectors with each other is time consuming, because the precise orientation of the electrical connector located in the tubing hanger is not known. One type of electrical connection in a tubing hanger uses concentric rings. While no orientation is needed, the ring connector is expensive to manufacture.